Grating



Oct. 28,1947. B, FLIN 1 2,429,677

. GRATING Filed Aug. 18. 1944 ll Q5! I X I L I/NJRYQJ/N/WM s x T 1/ v 4IN VEN TOR.

9W4 LY. ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 28, 1947 GRATING Eric B. Flint, JerseyCity, N. J assignor to Kerlow Steel Flooring Company, Jersey City, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 18, 1944, Serial No.550,024

This invention relates to grating structures and it is among the objectsof the invention to provide' grating structures which can be assembledin a continuous flooring without leaving hardly any perceptibleindication of places of jointure.

Another object of the invention is to provide grating structure having auniform open mesh pattern throughout its area.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are described in thefollowing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawingswherein the principle of the invention and the best mode of embodyingthe same are disclosed.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a schematic showing of a single grating panel embodying thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic showing of adjacent grating panels;

Fig. 3 is a detail of a portion of the joined ends of two adjacentpanels;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Thegrating panel of the present invention is for constructing acomposite grating structure made up of a number of similar panels whichare placed adjacent one another. For use as open floorings forbuildings, ships and bridges, it is desirable that the grating panels beconnected together so as to provide a continuous structure having noapparent joints or joints which would create an annoyance particularlyduring the passage of vehicles thereover. In a continuous gratingstructure employing the panels of the present invention, the straightbars and the crimped strips of each intermediate panel are arranged'intwo sets so that one set provides tenon connections at one end of thepanel and the other set provides mortise connections at the other end ofthe panel, the end of each straight bar of one panel being arranged tofit between the ends of a pair of crimped strips of another panel or, inan alternative construction, the ends of each crimped strip of one panelbeing arranged to fit between the ends of a pair of straight bars ofanother panel. The breaks between the straight bars of connected panelsand between the crimped strips of connected panels lie in more than oneline at each end of a panel. The breaks or joints between aligned barsand crimped strips of joined panels can be distributed to overliedifferent supporting beams, but the splice formed is sufficiently strongto lie between beams. In addition, the over-all design of the meshes ofthe grating is not altered, with the result that the design of the openmeshes at the jointures of panels is the same as that of the 1 Claim.(Cl. 18982) open meshes in the remaining portions of the panels. Thestraight bars are unbent' throughout their lengths and crimped stripsare so cut at their ends as to continue their design over abuttingstrips.

The grating panels shown in the drawings demonstrate the principle ofthe invention. Each panel is composed of straight bars I, arrangedparallel to each other and separated by crimped strips 2 located onebetween each pair of parallel straight bars and fastened thereto atpoints of contact therewith. Rivets 3, 4 are commonly employed at thepoints of contact, as illustrated in the drawings, but welding may beused in place of rivets, if desired. Each panel is usually in thegeneral shape of a rectangle of any desired length with a widthdepending upon the number of straight bars and crimped bars assembledtogether. A plan for a single panel is illustrated in Fig. 1 andinterengaged panels are illustrated in Fig. 2. 7

As may be readily seen in Fig. l, the oddnumbered straight bars arestaggered with respect to the even-numbered straight bars and at one endof the panel every other straight bar has a length 5 which extendsbeyond the ends of the crimped strips. nate straight bars providesspaces 6 between the crimped strips 2 at one end of the panel foraccommodating lengths 1 of straight bars of a similar grating panelcorresponding in length with the length 5 of the straight bars whichextend beyond the other end of the panel. All of the panels areinterchangeable.

When the straight bars I and crimped strips 2 are assembled in the shopto form a panel, they are permanently joined together at all points ofcontact between straight bars and crimped strips. As they are laid inplace a succeeding panel 8 is placed in abutting relation with apreviously-laid panel 9, with the ends 10 and H of the straight bars ofthe respective panels 8 and 9 in an abutting or closely-abuttingrelation, Fig. 3. All of the ends of the straight bars of the adjoiningpanels are brought in the same relation, for

example, as shown at l2 and I3. The lengths of the even-numbered barsI4, l5, l6 extend into the spaces between the crimped strips of thepreviously-laid panel 9. After adjacent panels have been placed togetherin this manner, field rivets, such as l1, l8, l9 are placed in holespreviously provided in the bars and strips, or, if desired, weldingconnections may be used. The field rivets are shown in the drawing asnot being upset. When the adjoining panels have been The staggering ofalterconnected together, the abutting ends of the straight bars may beWelded together, as shown at 2!], 2| and so also the abutting ends ofthe crimped strips, as shown at 22 and 23. The portions 24, 25 of thecrimped strips which contact the straight bars are each approximatelyequal to half of the regular contacting portions 26. Because of theconstruction employed, the design of the meshes in the grating surfacewhich are Within or border the area of the joined ends of the bars andstrips are not altered from the regular design of the open meshthroughout the constructed flooring. Neither the straight bars nor thecrimped strips are required to be bent or distorted from their naturalpattern.

While I have described in detail a panel construction having everyotherstraight bar extending beyond the crimped strips at one, end of thepanel and ending short of the crimped strips at the other end of thepanel it should be readily appreciated that the same principle would beemployed in a panel having every other crimped s'trip e'xten'ding beyondthe straight bars at one end or a panel and ending short of the straightbars at the other end of the panel. So also, other than alternatestraight bars or crimped strips could be staggered, if desired.

'lt is-con'sistent with good design that the grating pane'ls be so laidthat the Welded connections will over-lie ajbearn, as shown in Fig. 2.however, an important accomplishment of the present invention that thepanels provide a means of-sp'licingwhich affords as much strength atth'e splices as there is in the remaining portions of the gratingstructure.

Acomrn'on form of grating'structureemploys crimped strips of less depththan that of the strai'ghtbara-as illustrated in Fig. i, but it is tobe'understood that the invention disclosed herein is applicable withother designs of grating having bars and strips of other proportions andof difierent mesh design.

What is claimed is:

A composite open-mesh grating structure comi prisingn plurality ofpanels, each panel being It is, "30

4 composed of straight bars arranged parallel to each other andseparated by crimped strips located one between each pair of saidparallel straight bars and fastened thereto at all points 5 of contacttherewith, said straight bars and crimped strips of the panels being inthe form of standard structural shapes and all of the straight bars andcrimped strips, respectively, of intermediate panels being inend-'to-end relationship with the straight bars and crimped strips,respectively, of adjacent panels so that the straight bars are alignedand continuous over their ends and the crimped strips are aligned-andcontinuous over their ends, welded joints between the ends of alignedstraight bars and of aligned. crimped strips, the straight bars thecrimped strips of each intermediate panel being arranged in two sets sothat one set provides tenon connections at one end of each intermediatepanel and the other set provides mortise connections at the other end ofeach intermediate panel whereby adjacent panels are adapted to'beenmeshed, and means for securing together the mortise and tenonconnections of adjacent panels, said last-named means being other thansaid welded joints, the panels of said grating structure being joined bysaid Welded joints and by said'last-named means in such manner that thegrating structure has the same size meshes locally of the joinedpanel-ends as are contained in the remainder of the panels.

ERIC B. FLINT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,629,134 Van Hoiien May 17, 19272,193,287 Lewis et a1. Mar. 12, 1940 955,750 Biser et a1. Apr. 19, 19102,276,782 Jones Mar. 17, 1942

